Number 36  —  September, 2000

 

Our Last Event

Hats off to Shula’s Steak House. It was great fun to visit a new venue, and they did a great job. It may have been he most consistently excellent group of wines we’ve had. Favorite that were mentioned by various people around the table were: ’79 Chambertin, ’75 Haut Brion, ’73 Stag’s Leap Petite Sirah, ’83 Ch. D’Yquem, and the surprising refrigerator white, ’83 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.

Our Next Event

Get ready for Las Vegas! The trip is scheduled for October 12-14, with some folks saying longer. Participants:

• Alcorns
• Crockets
• Henlines (3)
• Robinsons
• Siegles

Thanks to the organizational efforts of Debbie Henline, who has provided us with the following information:

Thursday, Oct 12

Day – On own at this point. John and Jonathan are planning a hike into one of the mountains about an hours and a half outside of Vegas on Thursday morning (this will take most of the day). If anyone is interested in going please let us know.

Dinner – Red Square at Mandalay Bay –  Party of 11, at 8:00 pm.  Welcome to the warmer half of Moscow. By that we mean Red Square, an original restaurant where you’ll discover vodka and caviar fit for a Czar. So forget everything you thought you knew about the frigid Siberian tundra, and enjoy the particular comforts that only the Motherland provides.

Friday, Oct 13

Day – 3pm? Afternoon Wine Get Together in the Alcorn’s Room at The Venetian

Show “O” – 7:30 show at the Bellagio – We are all confirmed Friday night, 10/13 at 7:30 for “O”. The guest will need to show picture ID as well as the credit card that was given when the reservation was made. These have been confirmed by Birgitt Ancke. They did not say this, but I believe the tickets must be picked up at least an hour before show time. Inspired by the concept of infinity, the circle of life and the elegance of its pure form, “O” phonetically speaking, is the French word for water (spelled “eau”). Written and directed by Franco Dragone, who has directed six of Cirque du Soleil’s previous productions, “O” uses water — 1.5 million gallons of it — as its stage. Featuring 74 performers from around the world, “O” will be performed in a revolutionary new theatre designed specifically for the production.

Dinner – Picasso’s at the Bellagio – Two tables, for 5 and 6, at 9:30 pm. Adding to the beauty of this Mediterranean style restaurant is the Bellagio collection of original Picasso artwork. Pablo Picasso spent much of his life in the South of France and Spain, and the cuisine created by Chef Julian Serrano takes its inspirations from these regions. The wine cellar features a dazzling collection from Europe’s finest vineyards.

Saturday, Oct 14

Day – On own at this point. Libby has expressed interest in doing Lord of the Dance on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. If anyone else is interested, please call Libby.

Dinner – 8 or 8:30 pm? Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian. We can bring our own fine wines. – Combine one of America’s favorite chefs, Emeril Lagasse, with one of America’s favorite cuisine and you have Delmonico Steakhouse. Featuring a classic steakhouse menu with Creole influences, Delmonico’s house specialties include bone-in rib eye steak, Delmonico chicken carved tableside for two, Emeril’s double-cut pork chops, and baked jumbo Gulf shrimp, to name a few.

 

Other items we are interested in…

 

Andy’s Recommendation: Blue Man Group: Live at Luxor – 7 & 10 pm $55 and $65

Weird, but also wildly inventive and universally funny is this New York-based troupe that picked Las Vegas for its fourth and biggest production. When they’re not pounding on PVC pipe, three silent pranksters in skullcaps and blue greasepaint combine high-brow humor and schoolyard play-with-your-food tricks, old-fashioned sleight-of-hand and genuine efforts to explain science and nature. The minimalist, industrial look and an aggressive, percussive score may scare away some, but a new generation of showgoer is more likely to appreciate its unique point of view.

Linda’s Recommendation: EFX – MGM Grand at 7:30 & 10:30 pm  $51.50 and $72

(Dancer and choreographer Tommy Tune stars in “EFX,” an abbreviation for “special effects.” The revue casts its star as a death-defying Houdini, a futuristic P.T. Barnum, the wizard Merlin battling fire-breathing dragons and author H.G. Wells visiting the subterranean future of “The Time Machine.”

Priscilla’s Recommendation: Art Show Convention

In town the same time we are: Art21 Las Vegas 2000, October 12 to 15 at the Venetian-Sands Expo Center. A Total Marketplace a complete presentation of fine art and art supplies, all in one venue. You’ll find everything from paintings, sculpture and glass to mono-painting, serigraphy, lithography and giclee juxtaposed with framing, framing supplies, posters and equipment. We’re talking some 700 booths.

 

Steve’s List of Cool Stuff To Do In Vegas

Star Trek at the Hilton

Terrific themed show with an amazing transporter effect. at the Hilton, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, $15.95. Features a complete re-creation of the promenade from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine;” Quark’s Bar & Restaurant; Zek’s Grand Emporium and Moogie’s Trading Post; The History of the Future, a self-guided museum tour; and The Voyage Through Space, an interactive ride where visitors are “beamed” through time and space to the Transporter Room and bridge aboard the USS Enterprise. Combo tickets that include the Stratosphere Tower (recommended) and the IMAX Simulator at Caesar’s Palace (not recommended) are also available at the Star Trek box office, and are a GREAT deal.

Hoover Dam

Beautiful visitor center about 40 minutes from Las Vegas, with a hard hat tour of the bowels of the dam.

Rio Wine Bar

Huge cellar with by the glass tastings of several flights. The Cellar is open daily, offering something extraordinarily memorable for every nose, palate and spirit to enjoy. Valued at more than $6 million, the collection includes renown centerpieces such as the $1 million Chateau d’Yquem collection, with a bottle from every vintage produced between 1855 and 1990, and a bottle of 1800 Madeira once owned by President Thomas Jefferson. Centuries of love and passion are represented in every one of some 45,000 bottles of wine in Rio’s Wine Cellar Tasting Room. Bringing together the finest and rarest wines from all over the world, the Cellar stands as not only a testament of love but as a living record of civilization. The Rio’s expertly trained wine staff, has a mission to provide everyone from the novice to the connoisseur the opportunity to truly experience and understand the beauty of fine wines.

Fremont Street

Four blocks of overhead light show on the hour nightly, with incredible sound.

Pinot Brasserie at the Venetian – lunch

The menu offers steak, poultry, pastas, seafood and wild game, complete with a large rotisserie and oyster bar. The wine is as extensive as the menu and features the best European and American wineries.

Caesar’s Magical Empire

Three theaters of magic, fabulous special effects, and a good dinner, all for about $65. Did I mention it’s served in the catacombs? An amazing themed experience.

Taqueria Canonita at the Venetian – lunch

Really interesting Mexican food, Tapas style. By the Canal.

Stratosphere Tower – good food with a view

And the cheapest wine list in town.

 

Coming Events

Halloween at the Chaneys’	Cancelled due to “hip” limitations on grave digging
OZ at the Ganes’	Cancelled due to Al’s hospitalization
Wine Syndicate	November 11, 2000
Champagne at the Clausens’	November 19, 2000
Pig Roast at the Henlines’	January 13, 2001
Wine Syndicate	January 20, 2001

 

Treasurer’s Report

Balance

-986.82